ABSC - Key Persons
Dr Frank Alafaci BA (Hons), Dott. Lett., MA (Hons), PhD is an academic who lectures MBA students at UBSS, one of the premier higher education institutions in Australia. He is the President of the Australian Business Summit Council Inc. and a past President of the Asian Australian Business Council Inc., as well as a past President of the Rotary Club of Five Dock Inc. (NSW) and a former District Treasurer of Rotary International District 9675, and a current Director of the Italian Opera Foundation of Australia. He is also a past Member of the Board of Directors of the Australia China Friendship and Exchange Association and a past Director of Fundraising & Partnerships at the United Nations Association of Australia Peace Program (NSW), including a former Associate Member of the Korean War Veterans Association (NSW) and a previous Advisor / Honorary Member of the June 25th Korean War Veterans with Merit in Australia (NSW). He was an article contributor to the Fortune Weekly magazine published in the weekend edition of the Australian New Express Daily, one of the highest selling Chinese Australian newspapers, and contributed articles to the Korean Australian Times newspaper until both these newspapers ceased publication. He was instrumental in convening and moderating the 2015 Korean Australian Forum on East Asian Sovereignty Disputes (with official support from the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea) and was the Convenor and Master of Ceremonies of the 2015 Korean Small Business Forum in Sydney. He was the keynote speaker on South Korea: Asia's Economic Miracle at the Korean Australian Friendship Luncheon (Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney) in 2015 and one of the keynote speakers with his address on the Australia-China Economic Relationship at the Fifth China Beijing International Fair for Trade in Services Roadshow (Rydges World Square Hotel, Sydney) in 2017. More recently, he was one of the keynote speakers with his address on Trade and Investment between Australia and the Philippines at the 2019 Ateneo Alumni Association of Australia International Convention (Pullman Hyde Park Hotel, Sydney) and addressed the "Climate in Multilateral Mode - the Paris Agreement" breakout session at the Imperial Springs International Forum (Imperial Springs Resort, Guangzhou, China) in 2019.
Job Titles:
- CEO / Managing Director of the Arab Bank Australia Limited
Dr Joseph Rizk AM is the CEO / Managing Director of the Arab Bank Australia Limited. He was formerly its Chief Banking Officer, overseeing the bank's retail, commercial and trade banking operations and branch networks, and was responsible for all the revenue generating mechanisms of the institution. Before ABAL he worked for over thirty years predominantly in senior executive roles for the National Australia Bank, where he led and managed a series of large business units in Sydney and greater NSW and directed the NAB's NSW & ACT Property Finance Groups. From 2014 to 2017 he was the President of the Westmead Medical Research Foundation (WMRF) and was nominated in 2015 for the position of Director of the Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research. He also became the Chairman of the Italian Opera Foundation of Australia (IOFA) and received the ‘Order of Australia' award in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to the banking sector, community and charitable works, especially in the Lebanese and Arabic communities. He became a Board Member of the Australia Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AACCI) in 2016 and the Melkite Catholic Eparchy Corporation four years later. Currently, he is also a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and a fellow of the Australian Institute of Management as well as a Board Director of the Australian Lebanese Chamber of Commerce for the past seventeen years. Equipped with over forty-seven years of corporate, commercial and international banking and finance experience, he excels across the banking spectrum through his sound judgment and intuitive ability to generate positive results in the face of difficult market conditions and an increasingly competitive business environment.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Managing Director of First National Real Estate Dee Why and Emeritus Mayor of the Municipality of Warringah
John Caputo OAM is the Managing Director of First National Real Estate Dee Why and Emeritus Mayor of the Municipality of Warringah for three terms, serving on Warringah Council for sixteen years. He is also a former Board Member of the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Australia Inc. and a current Director of the Italian Opera Foundation of Australia Ltd. and was previously elected to the Executive Committee of the Local Government Association of New South Wales. Over the course of his successful public / professional career, he has received numerous awards from both the Australian and Italian governments in recognition of his exemplary roles within the community, including the Order of Australia Medal in 2000 for his services to Local Government and the Italian community in New South Wales as well as the Multicultural Community Medal in 2013 at the annual New South Wales' Premier's Harmony Dinner in formal acknowledgment of his outstanding contributions to Multiculturalism in Australia.
Mark Malak BCom (Acc / Fin), MHSM, CPA, JP is a senior partner at the AMMM Group Pty Ltd, a large Australian consultant firm in finance, accounting, health care and compliance. As an experienced business advisor with the shared services arm of government and outsourced operations in complex multi-divisional environments across the private sector, Mark leads highly qualified accountants, tax agents, auditors, financial planners, insurance and mortgage brokers who provide comprehensive financial, taxation and accounting services to domestic and international traders, companies and trusts. Endowed with strong business acumen through his intrinsic understanding of strategy and advanced economic theories, concepts, and models, Mark has routinely shown optimum judgment and initiative in interpreting and executing multifaceted policy directives as well as appropriately liaising with relevant stakeholders.
Mas Meuross is an acclaimed business owner with over twenty years' experience in providing software for the freight forwarding industry. As the General Manager of Hi- Tech Freight Solutions (Australia) Pty Ltd, founded with her husband in 1999, she oversaw the financial controlling, administration, and marketing aspects of the business (accounts, customs brokerage, transport and warehouse), servicing more than three-hundred clients in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. Her company worked closely with CBFCA (now IFCBAA), AFIF, and CBAFFNZ and its cyber freight software was well-received in the IT industry. Owing to this success, she and her husband established another business in Singapore, Cyber Freight Pte Ltd, which catered for clients across Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, returning to Australia in 2016 from where she directed the Singaporean office with local employees, before selling the lucrative business to a publicly listed company. Currently, she and her husband are the founding directors of Biz Team Australia Pty Ltd, which provides book-keeping services to cyber freight clients, intending to extend its operations into payroll, Human Resources and consultancy.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of the Weringa Group Pty Ltd
Piers Morgan is the Executive Director of The Weringa Group Pty Ltd that operates Regulatory Services Australia (RSA) to assist companies in regulated industries to do business in Australia and New Zealand, especially pharmaceutical and medical device companies as an agent or sponsor for registering products with the TGA or Medsafe. As an experienced director and manager of businesses, he has also served as the General Manager, later Group General Manager of Centrebet, then an Australian sports betting business which expanded globally in his time and Asia Pacific CEO of an international listed US gaming technology company. Moreover, he holds NED roles for the Australian subsidiaries of Foton Motor Corporation, Nvidia, Taulia and ISD and was previously the Australian NED for Abercrombie and Fitch, and for Sherwin Williams.
Job Titles:
- Vice President
- Founding Director of Alliance Project Group Pty Ltd
Rouad El Ayoubi is the Founding Director of Alliance Project Group Pty Ltd, a large, dynamic and client-focused building construction company based in NSW, with sixty-five employees and over AUD $100 million per year in turnover. As an eminent figure within the Sydney Property and Construction Market, he has more than twenty years delivery experience of at least AUD $1.5 billion in project value and has been listed among Australia's Top 10 Young Entrepreneurs, winning both the prestigious 2018 Business News Australia Sydney Young Entrepreneur Award and the 2018 Property and Construction Award for the Sydney Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Having been the driving force behind numerous award-winning projects for private developers, fund managers, consortia and financial institutions, he has over the years nurtured a natural talent for entrepreneurship, venture capital, project management and property development. Under his astute and experienced leadership, Alliance Project Group prides itself on its provision of turnkey project services and delivering a broad range of design and building projects which draw upon innovative development models, construction methods and premium deliverables.
Job Titles:
- Real Estate Agent at the Ozway Realty Group Pty Ltd
Setya Darmadji is a licensed Real Estate agent at the Ozway Realty Group Pty Ltd (Sydney, New South Wales) with over twenty years' residential property and project marketing experience. She has managed the successful sales or acquisitions of countless properties across Sydney's wealthy eastern /northern suburbs and adjoining residential areas. Her fervent passion, knowledge and tenacity have enabled her to accumulate an illustrious record of service to the Real Estate profession through her extensive links to the domestic, national and international property markets and investment clientele. As an eminent member of the Indonesian Diaspora Network (New South Wales' branch), her steadfast dedication to multiculturalism has contributed to enhancing socio-cultural cohesiveness between expatriate Indonesians and the Australian community.
Sheron Sultan is the founder of Yatimba!, a curriculum-based program that assists students to improve their mental and physical wellbeing through learning activities, collaborative storytelling and rhythmic movement. Driven by her own experiences with adversity, she began by volunteering at Youth Centres and recently launched Afro Step, an engaging initiative that blends high-intensity exercise with African music to promote physical fitness and self-confidence through upbeat music. Her collaboration with organisations like Kids Giving Back highlights her ongoing commitment to supporting young individuals from diverse backgrounds and her role on the Canterbury Bankstown Chamber of Commerce Youth Committee further emphasises her dedication to youth development within the community.
Sylvia Alafaci is a sales marketer who worked in Marketing for KT Freetel Pty Ltd., one of South Korea's largest telecommunications companies. She has been a successful business owner, Internet café' operator and liaison executive in Sales and Marketing for several prominent South Korean companies. As a logistics operator since her relocation to Australia, she co-organised the 2015 Korean Australian Forum on East Asian Sovereignty Disputes and the 2018 NSW Asian Business Excellence Awards Gala Dinner to promote, showcase and recognise the achievements of notable Asian Australian businesses. Her experience in administrative roles are evident as a past Director of Vocational Service / Director of Club Service in the Rotary Club of Five Dock as well as a former Secretary / Membership Officer and Public Relations Officer of the Asian Australian Business Council Inc. and as a previous Board member of the Australia China Friendship and Exchange Association Inc.
Vikas Rawat PGDIT is an IT consultant and website developer who has worked for multinational businesses in the information technology sector. As a senior IT executive at Serco Global Services Pty Ltd., he was responsible for supervising the installation, configuration, maintenance and operation of IT infrastructure. He also served as a support engineer with Robert Bosch Engineering & Business Solutions Pvt Ltd., identifying system requirements as well as contributing to software architecture and coordinating the development, evaluation and recommendation of optimum breed innovations and plane interfaces and methodologies. His areas of expertise include managing and troubleshooting IT network issues, maintaining centralized driver repositories for IT hardware systems, and formulating solutions that meet the requirements for cutting edge IT equipment and procedures.
Job Titles:
- Founder and CEO of Swan Wine Group
Wei Li is the founder and CEO of Swan Wine Group, one of the top ten exporters of wine to China. Li was for a decade until his resignation in 2008 the chief executive of Power Dekor, China's largest global flooring supply company, which taught him the necessity to control both product branding and distribution. Since 2008 Li has managed to create a fully integrated wine export business with winemaking and bottling facilities in the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, utilising a combination of two hundred and fifty distribution channels across one hundred and fifty Chinese cities. Swan Wine products are likewise sold and distributed via Walmart and Carrefour and through online giant "virtual" stores and outlets such as JD.com.